Adhesion formation following surgery or trauma is generally considered to be undesirable. For example, adhesions that form in relation to intestinal surgery, e.g., bowel resection, hernia repair, etc. may cause obstruction of the intestine. Adhesions that form near the bone fracture site may reduce or hinder the normal movement of the area of repair by restricting the natural movement of tendons over the adjacent bone. Adhesions may also form in the vicinity of nerves and disrupt nerve transmissions with a resultant diminution of sensory or motor function.
Hydrogel materials that may serve well as wound sealants, e.g., possessing a high strength and degradation resistance during the wound healing time frame (approximately 5-10 days), may not serve well as adhesion barriers, which should degrade relatively quickly. However, hydrogel materials that provide relatively rapid degradation may also possess a gel strength that is relatively weak. Balancing these two qualities—high gel strength and rapid degradation—poses a technical challenge.